Victorian Brad "Hollywood" Pitt and Queensland's Jarrod Fletcher
stayed away from the menace of big-punching opponents to raise the
roof at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre yesterday and add two gold
to the four bronze medals Australia's losing semi-finalists had
already secured.

There was noise  Fletcher claimed the roaring, soaring
voices of the packed arena were worth a 10-point start  there
was drama, and there was the end most had hoped for as Fletcher
dispatched Canada's Adonis Stevenson 34-18 and Pitt pummelled
India's Harpreet Singh 25-10.

Pitt's dancing victory, built on a steady pick and poke jab that
bewildered the lumbering Singh, gave Australia its first
heavyweight boxing gold medal, while Fletcher's off-the-canvas
victory was the country's third at middleweight.

There were grave but fleeting concerns for Fletcher when he
walked on to a heavy left hand at the end of the second round and
his head hit the deck with just as much force. He rose on unsteady
legs, before the bell came to the rescue with steam rising from
Stevenson.

One minute to rest was all Fletcher needed, and in the
post-fight media engagement he was more concerned with sinking his
first beer in six months than the effects of the knock-down.

"Winning a gold medal here in front of your home crowd has got
to open some doors up so I'm just looking forward to having a month
off," he said, before acknowledging the enormous benefit of
fighting in front of home support.

"With this crowd here you might as well be 10 points up when you
start. They get behind you so much. Whenever you get a bit tired
they lift you and it's easy to get through it with these guys."

Both boxers will contemplate a future in the professional
ranks.

Pitt, a painter who put his trade on hold to focus on the Games,
said financial necessity was knocking, and Fletcher said at 22 he
had to look seriously at the rewards of the professional game.